Following more than a decade of advocacy, it is now up to Governor Andrew Cuomo to sign the official name change of the current Van Wyck-Briarwood subway station to the Briarwood Station.

Residents living in the Briarwood community reached out to their local elected officials for support, and have since seen successful legislation passed in both the State Assembly and State Senate to endorse their request.

State Sen. Tony Avella rallied for the governor’s support with members of the Briarwood Community Association last week.

“The name of a station should not only reflect the name of the community, but it should also be simple for the transit riders to understand the station they are getting off of,” Avella said.

While the bill has yet to reach the governor’s desk, Avella said he is confident it will get passed, adding that he heard the Metropolitan Transit Authority was not opposed to the name change.

“I’m hoping they see that this is really not only in the best interest in the community, but in the best interest of the ridership,” he said, adding that his office has already sent in the request.

Seymour Schwartz, the president of the Briarwood Community Association, said after 13 years of advocacy to change the name of the station, the recent push from both the State Assembly and State Senate has been the best chance they have seen.

“Some years ago they met us halfway and renamed it Van Wyck-Briarwood, but that’s not good enough,” Schwartz said, referring to action taken by the city in 1997. “For most people, there are two stations called Van Wyck Boulevard on the E and the F trains, a point of serious confusion.”